Cooperative ties between Vietnam and Africa will continue to grow for mutual benefit in the years to come in line with a long-term strategy pursued by both sides.
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Algerian President A. Bouteflika (R) held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Triet
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Vietnam and several African countries established a special friendship during their struggles for national liberation. This friendship was initiated and developed by late President Ho Chi Minh and many patriotic African revolutionaries.
During Vietnam’s wars of resistance against the French and Americans, the African people always stood by the Vietnamese people and enthusiastically supported Vietnamese people’s just cause both physically and spiritually. The image of Vietnam leading the struggle for national independence greatly encouraged many African people.
Since their independence, Vietnam and African countries have always paid attention to boosting their bilateral cooperative ties, especially in the current context when Vietnam and African countries are enjoying an array of favourable conditions to strengthen multifaceted relations for mutual development and help raise their status in the regional and international arenas.
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"President Triet (L) and Tunisian President Ben Ali
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Diplomatic ties reinforced
In recent years, the Communist Party of Vietnam has gradually made Vietnam’s relationship with African countries an important part of its foreign policy.
So far, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 51 out of 54 African countries. The country is also promoting the establishment of diplomatic ties with the remaining three African countries – Comoros, Malawi, and Liberia.
Vietnam now has 9 representative agencies in Algeria, Libya, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Angola. Meanwhile Algeria, Libya, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Sudan have also opened embassies or representative offices in Vietnam.
More delegations are being exchanged, including the recent visits to African countries by General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, President Nguyen Minh Triet, and Politburo member Truong Tan Sang, the recent visits to Vietnam by the Moroccan Premier, the Nigerian President, the Central African Republic President, and the Tanzanian Prime Minister.
In his official visits to Algeria and Tunisia in April 2010, President Nguyen Minh Triet witnessed the development and potential of North African countries and felt their admiration for Vietnam, its people and late President Ho Chi Minh.
During meetings with the Vietnamese State president, leaders of these two African countries mentioned the Dien Bien Phu victory, which they said had inspired many African people to rise up for national independence.
The Algerian president confirmed many times that the ties between Vietnam and Africa are “traditional, faithful, sincere and typical” and proposed measures to build Vietnam-Algeria relations in particular and Vietnam-Africa relations in general into partnerships that are sustainable, effective and practical in each specific area.
In addition to state diplomacy, there are also many other dynamic activities to accelerate relations between enterprises from Vietnam and Africa, and between Vietnamese and African people in the fields of culture, sports and education.
Vietnam and African countries have signed more than 70 agreements, providing legal framework for further bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, training, medical care, investment, transportation, culture and tourism.
Economic, trade cooperation
Despite economic and financial difficulties, Vietnam is willing to share with its African friends its experiences in poverty reduction through cooperation in health care, education and agriculture.
Africans find Vietnam a sincere friend and a reliable partner. International organizations like FAO, the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership, and many African countries consider Vietnam a model to follow and have chosen Vietnam as a partner in bipartite and tripartite cooperation.
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National Assembly Chairman Trong (L) visits Algeria
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Vietnam has commercial ties with all 54 African countries with trade revenues rapidly increasing over the years, from US$360 million in 2003 to US$2 billion in 2008, double the target set in the 2004-2010 Action Programme.
In 2009, trade turnover between Vietnam and Africa hit US$2.07 billion despite numerous difficulties from the global financial crisis. Vietnam shipped US$1.56 billion worth of products to Africa and imported $510 million from the continent.
Vietnam has taken the initiative in forming key cooperation areas and priority partnerships in Africa.
Accordingly, Vietnam also gives priority to bilateral cooperation in petrol and oil joint ventures with Algeria, Tunisia, Madagascar, Egypt, Angola, and Libya, in the fields of agriculture, post and telecommunications, and energy with Angola, Mozambique, labour with Libya, and animal husbandry, petrol and oil with Sudan.
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Vietnamese experts help Africans grow rice
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All these moves will enable Vietnam to devise strategic plans for cooperation with Africa in the 2011-2020 period.
Deputy Foreign Minister Doan Xuan Hung confirmed that under its foreign policy, Vietnam will speed up its multifaceted cooperation with Africa.
The forthcoming second Vietnam-Africa International Forum will provide a good opportunity for all related parties to review the recent economic cooperation situation and discuss measures for cooperative relations in key areas such as agriculture, trade, energy and labour./.